Hello friends –
I look forward to seeing many of you this coming Sunday September 11 at our annual Homecoming Service. Our service begins outdoors on the lawn with a calling of our leaders to come forward and carry the symbols of each ministry into the sanctuary. Our service will include special music and a recognition of those who have died in the past year, and a message about what we can become together. I will have a story for the children as well.
I have returned from my summer break refreshed and renewed. It is fitting that our theme for September is Belonging. My summer travels and study has convinced me that the most important reason we are part of a congregation is that we belong to one another.
This longing for belonging is deeply rooted in our evolutionary past. As homo sapiens left the trees and became more diurnal, they no longer had the cover of darkness to protect them from predators. We evolved to forming groups that could watch out for one another and keep the tribe safe. Belonging to one another was actually a matter of life and death.
Since the Enlightenment, we have favored individualism over collective purpose. While this is deeply engrained in our cultural ethos, individualism falls short of fostering meaningful spiritual connection. I have come to believe that we deepen our spiritual lives best when we gather together in groups as small at eight to ten. This is why our Soul Matters Small Group Ministry is so important. Being in a small group helps you connect more deeply to one another spiritually. I will be leading a four-session class starting on Thursdays September 22 on ZOOM for those who would like to learn more about Unitarian Universalism, our way of spirituality and possibly to join a new small group.
I have found hope in recent months in seeing what deep belonging can do for us as individuals and as a congregation. I look forward to a transformative year with all of you.
See you in church,
Rev. John